Who We Are
The Graduate Students Association (GSA) is the official governing body representing all graduate and professional students at UCLA. Through advocacy, funding, and programming, we work to enhance student life, protect student interests, and promote a thriving graduate community across campus.
Governing Structure
At the core of GSA is the Central Office, led by four elected Officers: the President and three Vice Presidents—Internal Affairs, External Affairs, and Academic Affairs. These Officers are supported by a team of Cabinet Directors who oversee GSA’s daily operations, including funding distribution, event programming, policy advocacy, and communications.
GSA’s primary legislative and judicial authority resides in the GSA Forum, which is composed of student Delegates from each Academic Council and the Student Interest Board. The Forum is responsible for approving budgets, establishing organizational policy, enforcing the Constitution and Codes, and ensuring accountability across all branches of GSA. All graduate students are welcome to attend Forum meetings and participate in discussions.
Every graduate and professional student at UCLA is also a member of one of 13 academic councils, aligned with their department or professional school (e.g., Engineering, Education, Public Health). Councils elect student Representatives to oversee local programming and funding, and Delegates to serve in the GSA Forum. Councils serve as the foundation for grassroots engagement and provide a direct line for students to shape their academic communities.
This structure ensures that all graduate students, regardless of discipline or background, have meaningful representation, access to resources, and a platform to influence campus policy through GSA.
Governing Documents
The Graduate Students of the University of California, Los Angeles,
Considering that there is a constant need to provide for the representation of graduate students and the promotion of graduate students’ interests on this campus and within the University of California; but
Considering also, that the nature of graduate study requires that a governing body be established that will not unduly burden the individual graduate student who would like to participate and will answer to the students of the different academic disciplines; and
Considering further, that the reasonable procedures must be established to guarantee the fair and responsible representation of all graduate students,
Hereby establish these governing documents: